What to Look for When Hiring an Event Producer

Why hire an event production company to plan and produce your peer-to-peer fundraising event? To raise more money, of course! No, really – hiring an outside vendor can increase your bottom line. Many organizations come to us because they need to generate more revenue and their teams can’t sell sponsorships, cultivate fundraisers, and recruit participants when they’re focused on event logistics. And that is not where most development staff shine; their superpower is in relationships so that’s where they should spend their time.

If you’re making the leap to working with an event production company for the first time, or if you want to find a new production partner to take your event to the next level, consider these criteria:

• Expertise. Before considering any other quality, the right partner must bring experience and skills that ensure you’re getting what you pay for. Your behind-the-scenes vendor is making big decisions that reflect your organization so they had better know accurate and timely permits, safe routes, logical site layouts, and jurisdictional management. You can ask for case studies from other events to gauge expertise and eliminate companies that don’t have what it takes.
  
• Mission focus. Is your event just another 5K or is it the real, live manifestation of your mission and physical gathering of your most connected supporters? We’re guessing the latter. Many companies can put up tents and signs, but only a few truly become an extension of your team who treat your participants as valued supporters and help design spaces on-site that bring your mission to life. Ask about their experience in the P2P fundraising event space and their insights on mission activation.
  
• Operational excellence. Your selected vendor will spend 95% of their time planning and only 5% bringing it together on event day. But that one day is what participants anticipate, fundraise for, and experience, so it had better run smoothly! You need a production company that has tried and true processes to ensure load-in goes smoothly, your team has a clear timeline for event weekend, the participants are safe (with weather and emergency response plans in place) so local jurisdictions welcome you back the following year. Ask for examples of emergency response planning and event operations timelines to get a sense of operational excellence.
  
• Partnership. We don’t consider ourselves an event production vendor — we act as a partner to our nonprofit clients. This quality is tougher to evaluate during the selection process but may be the make-or-break quality to identify. It’s easy to work with a production vendor when everything is going smoothly. But what happens when unexpected challenges arise outside of our control? And how will the vendor work with you to find solutions rather than leave you hanging or miss other important deadlines? Talk to key references and get honest feedback on the production company’s workstyle to see if they’re the best fit for your organization. And trust your gut during the interview process, when you will get a feel for what it’s like to work with them. You want to have easy and clear communication with your vendors, and your production company should feel like a true partner when you talk with them.

I don’t envy nonprofit professionals who have to make such an important decision. Your P2P event is something you spend all year working on. The best gift we can give our clients is confidence and peace of mind that they don’t have to worry about their event logistics.

Now, you’re probably wondering what the process is to find your ideal production partner. Stay tuned, because later this summer, we’re publishing a new whitepaper that will walk you through the step-by-step process of creating an RFP that will help you find your best match.

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